Category: review

You know the popular woes of adult friendships; you rarely see each other. And if you all do discuss it, your schedules are all conflict with each other. For months, my college tropa has been planning to travel again. It’s been years since our last getaway. And we’ve been going on cycles, suggesting, turning down, screwing up the whole plan. It was truly difficult to reach the concensus. But amazingly (finally!) , we all agreed on May 5, 2018 (except for one with totally reasonable reason) Since we could not travel far because of other commitments, we just chose to have staycation just few hours away from Manila. So I browsed Airbnb and found these amazing condo unit with panoramic view of Taal.

With the free wi-fi and parking, we’re solved! It accepts a maximum of 6 persons. Of course there are other units in Wind Residences with this great view. But this is the one I have found in Airbnb and we settled because of the freebies and reasonable price.

So this is the glimpse of the Taal just right at the window. It is absolutely panoramic!

Doing some night long exposure shots. I tried my best.

The condo unit itself truly delivers. It has appliances for light cooking. There was TV with HDMI cable for gaming, chandeliers and bed. The host was quick to respond to all our inquiries. The only thing I could complain is it only has two towels and two blankets. They mentioned it beforehand but it is easy to slip in our minds. Anyway if you plan to book this yourself, just don’t forget to bring extra towels and blankets if you are more than two people. But generally, this condo unit ROCKS! I totally recommend it for those who are planning to have a chill and relaxing weekend.

As for the evidence on how the condo unit looks and how much we enjoyed our stay, please refer to the following section.

MY CRAZY COLLEGE FRIENDS and THE FUN THINGS WE DID

Being with them is ALWAYS guaranteed fun-filled and full of laughter ride. I mean just look at this. They are all meme-worthy.

(NSFW guys. Just for fun only)

GROCERY TIME

Upon arrival, we checked it and head-off to the nearest supermarket just walking distance from the condo unit. Apart from necessities, we bought bottles of Soju, Renato (leftmost side guy) had a sudden penchant for Soju eversince I treated them in Oppa Chicken for my last birthday. It amazes me that he really became into it.

And some portrait photoshoot on the side

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Photoshoot with Taal Volcano. Of course I didn’t let this moment slip without capturing the majestic view. I imagine how it feels like to wake up in the morning with this kind of sightings. But then again, I realized that if you are used to something, even how beautiful it is, you would get tired eventually. People are just like that.

Boardgaming Night

This is becoming the banner activity of our friendship everytime we meet. It’s fun and you put down your phones because you got to really interact with each other. We played two games that night. First was the dead of winter wherein you as players are going to do your best to survive a zombie apocalypse together. It’s not a simple game. But I want to commend our game master Aldrich (below) for patiently explaining everything for almost one hour!

He’s been our ever reliable game master. No one could replace him and no one would be willing. (Gahd ang hirap kaya mag-aral ng game. Daming pag-aaralang instruction. I can’t for a life of me!)

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The second game was Avalon. It is our most favorite so far. It’s a game of Bad guys a.k.a “Minions of Mordred” and Good guys a.k.a “Loyal Servant of Arthur”. In this game you should have an ability to deceive or investigate the behavior of your co-players. It is truly a fun game and its not hard to learn.

It’s been a long time plan to document and edit a reality-game show type coverage of us playing this game. But it’s not easy to edit. And I’m still struggling. But for now, here’s the glimpse of us playing as the bad guys caught in camera standing on a tripod.

Foodtrip.

Just one ride away from Wind Residences is a restaurant called “Green ATS”. You can choose in a “kubo” where there is a great skyscraper view of Tagaytay City. You just have to pay 1500 but that is totally consumable to food. And whenever we go to Tagaytay, our table won’t be complete without Bulalo. The food is great but nothing compared with the Bulalo in Mahogany also here in Tagaytay.

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Birthday Surprise!

Even I was surprised with this birthday surprise. I was not part of the plan. We were playing “Just dance” when Renato suddenly said that he forgot something and he had to go back to the car. He disappeared for almost half an hour. When he went back, he already has the cake. Even I was stunned. I really didn’t know. I guess they know I’m not a good actress and it would be hard for me to keep the plan hhahaha. I won’t blame them. I’m a girl with unrestrained secrets haha!

Nice surprise!

Finally soju time. Renato has been waiting for this

Just Dance!

Apparently, Drich and Leonard has this amazing gaming console called Switch. It looks like this.

When you connect to a T.V with HDMI, you can instantly play any games offline or online. I am really not much into gaming that’s why I don’t things like this. But if I have to choose a game, that has to be a dancing game! I love to dance. It’s a hobby that I love that doesn’t love me back. In a very rare occasion, all of us get up and join the game. So here it is, sharing with you our shameful dancing in the tune of 24K Magic by Bruno Mars.

And the best dancer goes to… The birthday boy, Leonard!

But allow me to display this meme-able gif again.

BREAKFAST

Allow me to introduce you the party mother of our group, Chard. He cooked, cleaned and washed the dishes all by himself. He woke up early just to prepare the breakfast. When we got-up, everything was on the table already; hard-boiled eggs, tuna, pancit-canton, sausage and juice. See? It’s truly a blessing to have a friend like Chard.

Swimming at the Wind Residences Clubhouse

This is exclusive in the accommodation. It only costs P150.00 each in the accounting center.

Because we were afraid of the sun, we opted to swim in the indoor pool.

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DRONE PHOTOSHOOT

Renato has small drone that he was afraid to fly unto the hole of Taal Volcano. So we just tried around the Wind Residences clubhouse.

LUNCH in MAHOGANY

Exactly 12 PM we checked-out of the condo unit. We had our lunch at the place called Mahogany. There is a string of carinderia style restaurants here. Among of all these is the one featured in Kris TV because of its heaven-sent Bulalo. And not only Bulalo, but also “Crispy Tawilis”. I’ll be writing a separate blog about this soon. Just writing this triggers drooling for me and I’m writing this here in the office with Tagaytay like temperature. OMG! Help!

That’s it!

Now that I’m finished documenting our mini escapade, I realized that I have new names for my friends; Renato is the “Soju Boy”, Aldrich is “The Game Master” , Leonard as “the Dancer” and Richard as “the Party Mother”. I was thinking what is my role in this group. But since I documented everything, I guess I’ll be and always be, yours truly, ‘The Blogger Friend”. Haha!

*Lolita is not a cosplay or costume since it does not portray any characters whatsoever. It is a fashion subculture from Japan.

*Sweet Lolita is one of the common Lolita styles. According to lolitafashion.wikia.com ,common motifs for sweet lolita includes, but are not limited to, desserts, berries, children books, and fantasy elements. Animals and flowers are also quite common. Colors are usually baby pinks, blues, white and pastels.

As for me, I am wearing a light blue jumpskirt with a hint of cake house print.

My outfit is quite simple compared with my co-members.

About Dessert Museum, it is located inside Conrad hotel at the back of MOA SMX convention. Each room has a design or theme base on the desserts it represents like ice cream, donuts, gummy bears, marshmallows and etc. They also give samples of each dessert in each room. We booked the venue as a group so we only paid P600.00 each. In metrodeal.com as of this writing, it is now only P599.00! This is the link.

I think my ONLY COMPLAIN would be that they don’t remind everyone to bring water before going inside. Or better yet, they should also provide free water also along with the sweets. But well, we survived without water for two hours. And it helped because we don’t have to look for a comfort room within that period because there was no CR inside too.

“A very spicy taste of extraordinary pork based soup with perfect combination of spices that touches the soul of a Real Ramen taste!” – Ramen Kuroda

I’ve been a fan of Ramen Kuroda. It’s been my number one Ramen Resto until “Mendokoro Ramenba” entered the picture. That’s why when I heard about their new spicy ramen offering last February, I’ve been wanting to taste it. I only got the opportunity last March 23 at their Eastwood Branch. And it did not disappoint. Rich and thick in taste indeed. Of course, the pork meat is soft just like before. (Banayad sa dila as I use to describe it). The spicyness is tolerable and won’t hurt even the non-spicy fans foodies. But comparing to my favorite Aka Ramen, I would still choose Aka. It’s the ramen that made me fall in love with Ramen Kuroda and still think its more delicious than Bari-Kara.

Final Verdict: 4.5/5 stars. Spicy Ramen Lovers should check this out!

And sharing with the photos of my friends who immediately agreed when I suggest Ramen Kuroda for our dinner for tonight.

And some food photography. I didn’t take much photos this time because I was so famish I am starting to have dizzy spells.

Smaller and Smaller Circles (2017) This film is based on the book dubbed as first crime/mystery book of the Phillippines. (Maybe the first of its kind in the Philippine cinema too. I can’t remember a Filipino murder mystery film. If you know one please educate me.) Our detectives here are actually priests who are trained with forensics so they are called to help solve a series of gruesome murders of young boys. Bodies were found with no genitals, no faces and no hearts anymore. Since our crime solvers are priests, they are not only faced with the problem of chasing the killer but also, the questions of faith and forgiveness, idagdag pa ang mga corrupt na mga pulis at alagad ng simbahan. In short, mabigat at malaman ang pelikulang ito.

Another thing to commend. This film has beautiful sountrack. Haunting, creepy and wonderfully chorals interweave in the movie scenes. Ilang beses tumaas balahibo ko! And lastly, Nonie Buencamino (Father Saenz) is such an underrated actor. Whatever character he plays, he plays it with sort of magic. Sid Lucero (Father Lucero) as support added dynamics to their team. Not another beautiful face I must say. Napakagaling!

I don’t agree much with sequels but this time,I would strongly suggest it. I demand more cases for Father Saez and Father Lucero to solve. Not only because of their brilliant minds but they have heart of gold with a lot of inner conflict themselves. Philippine Cinema had enough of love teams already. We should perhaps give way to crime-solving team this time.

Rating: ★★★★✩

This movie is not on PH theaters anymore but from time to time, it has screenings at Cinema76. This movie house features Filipino Indie Films for only P150.00. I totally recommend you to like their fb page so you can be updated with the schedules.

Special shoutout to bequietkate . I originally posted this review on my facebook page “Gurezu Blog” where I usually post my capsule reviews. Just today, I read her blog about her review on the book which prompted me to re-post this here as well. Hi Kate! I super love your review and it was nice to see someone who love this book (and movie) as well!

About Gurezu

I’m another Philippines-based Amateur Photographer at the block. I’m an IT professional by day and an aspiring writer 24 hours. This blog is my chronicle on my thoughts, reviews and adventures where I also practice my photography. My favorite are portraits so it will be quite evident here. Thank you for visiting my blog and feel free to message me if you want your portraits taken by me. I’m usually lurking around BGC, Taguig City.